They don’t wear team kits, line up for stage starts, or climb podiums, but they are among the most powerful and wealthy people in the sport. In a business where the difference between a two-year deal and a lifetime contract can hinge on a single phone call, cycling’s rider agents have quietly built empires and have their fingers in just about everything.

Figures from the UCI state that there are currently 103 registered agents, with 13 agencies each representing more than 30 riders. (Fancy becoming one? Sit and pass the UCI exam – next chance: June 2026 – and hey presto, you can represent cyclists from across the globe.)

Use of agents only became near-universal in cycling in the late 2000s – before then, it was seen as something that only the biggest superstars would need or even want, with riders otherwise content to negotiate their own contracts.

Some still do nowadays – Michael Woods did for many years – and other riders hand over contract talks to close family members. Remco Evenepoel is managed by his father, Patrick; Alberto Contador’s affairs were looked at by his brother Fran; Demi Vollering is represented by her fiancé Jan de Voogd; and Adam Yates by his wife Lisa. 

But the self-representation that was once the norm is now the exception. As Jasper Philipsen and Juan Ayuso have realised in recent years, it pays to ditch the family member and employ an agent if you want to move teams early or secure a significant pay raise. 

Their clients are the sport’s biggest names, and their signatures move millions. Prowling the backrooms of Monaco and the paddocks of Flanders, these brokers of speed and status are reshaping who gets paid and how much. 

Escape Collective has spoken to those in the know and compiled a list of cycling’s most powerful agents – and by extension, some of the most influential men and women in the sport. 

This article was published on Escape Collective in November 2025. You can read the full article here.